Minutes_Cable TV Commission 6 7 17 Copyrighted
July 5, 2017
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 1.
ITEM TITLE: Minutes and Reports Submitted
SUMMARY: Cable TV Commission of 6/7; City Council Proceedings of
6/19, 6/21; Community Development Advisory Commission
of 4/18; Human Rights Commission of 5/8; Proof of
Publication for City Council Proceedings of 6/5.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Cable 1V Commission Minutes of 6/7/17 Supporting Documentation
City Council Proceedings of 6/19/17 Supporting Documentation
Community Development Advisory Commission Minutes Supporting Documentation
of 4/18/17
City Council Proceedings of 6/21/17 Supporting Documentation
Human Rights Commission Minutes of 5/8/17 Supporting Documentation
Proof of Publication for City Council Proceedings of Supporting Documentation
6/5/17
MINUTES OF CABLE TV COMMISSION MEETING
June 7, 2017
CITY HALL ANNEX — 1 st FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM #1
MEMBERS PRESENT: Sr. Carol Hoverman (Chair), Jennifer Tigges, Pauline Maloney, Ron
Tigges, Alan Vincent, Kathy McMullen.
MEMBERS ABSENT: Mark Dolson (Vice-Chair).
OTHERS PRESENT: Craig Nowack, City of Dubuque
Nathan Ripperger, University of Dubuque
Hoverman called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.
Acceptance of the Agenda
Upon a motion by Vincent, seconded by Maloney, the agenda was approved 6 - 0.
Approval of the Minutes of May 3, 2017
Upon a motion by JTigges, seconded by RTigges, minutes of the May 3, 2017, meeting were
approved 5— 0, with Vincent abstaining.
Public Input
There was no public input.
Grant Letter Responses
Nowack noted that the University of Dubuque provided several programs to the shared education
channel in response to the letter it received, along with an explanation for their lack of programming in
calendar year 2016. Mr. Ripperger from UD was present and further clarified that they had been
utilizing a shared Google Drive with Loras College that notified a Loras employee who is no longer
there. The Commission expressed appreciation for the explanation and requested Nowack to send
UD a letter confirming that the problem has been rectified.
PEG Grant Programming Obligations
Nowack informed the Commission that this item appears at the request of Craig Schaefer at Loras
College who feels having a definite endpoint of the programming obligations that come with
acceptance of a PEG grant would be helpful to local recipients. Nowack reminded Commissioners
that grant recipients typically are required to produce 30 minutes of programming per quarter, but the
agreements provide no endpoint for this obligation. He noted that grants for equipment that do not
involve producing programming (such as a graphics bulletin board server or a playback server) do not
have programming obligations. Also, entities that receive multiple grants or large grants may be
required to produce more than just 30 minutes per quarter.
The Commission had a lengthy discussion on various aspects of this topic and requested that it stay
on the agenda until a formal policy can be drafted.
Mediacom Cable Report
No one from Mediacom was present to report.
Cable TV Report
Nowack informed the Commission of various planned productions and said that they are now fully
using the new storage server. He also said that they are working on finalizing the agreement to move
forward with the consultant overseeing drone certification and training.
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JTigges asked if there was an update on Mr. Barefoot's health. McMullen said he had been moved to
a facility in Ankeny for additional rehabilitation. Hoverman wondered if there was anyone else at
Mediacom taking over Barefoot's duties to run the public access channel. McMullen offered to call
there to find out.
This sparked a discussion regarding the future of the public access channel in Dubuque. Nowack
noted that it's now been about two months since Barefoot has been absent due to illness, and in that
time no programming has been running and to date he has not received any phone calls complaining
about this. Nowack reminded the Commission that under the state franchise law Mediacom is not
obligated to operate the public access channel. JTigges wondered if the City had to provide a public
access channel, or if one of the other channels could air material designated for public access.
Nowack said he was not aware of any obligation on the City to provide a public access channel, nor
could he speak to the willingness of Loras College and the school district to take over those duties.
Hoverman stated that the Telegraph-Herald was now including the cable access channels in the
channel guide of their Friday TV supplement. She noted that the Commission requested Nowack to
request this in a letter some time ago, and she asked him to send another letter thanking them for
doing it.
Adjournment
Upon a motion by Maloney, seconded by RTigges, the meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.
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